Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-01-14
INTERSTATE COMMERCE.
Evarts Declares the Bill before Congress
10 Urucoust;fuf;o,,aJ


By Frye from the Committee on Com
| merce-Proposition as an amendment to
the Postoffice bill, appropriating 100000
| to carry the mails between the United
States and Brazil and Central and South
| America.
| The Senate then resumed consideration
| OF the conference report of the interstate
commerce bill
Frye gave notice that he would move to
| recommit the report with instructions, and
claimed that the motion would take prece-
dence of the other two motions.
| The report having been read in full, Hoar
moved that the Senate disagree to the re-
| port, insist on its former action and request
a further conference.
Cullom claimed that his motion to agree
| to the report took precedence of the motion
| to disagree.
Harris, one of the conferees, desired every
| Senator to realize the fact that when he
voted on question of agreeing or disagree
ing to this report he was voting in effect
on the question as to whether there should
be any legislation ON the subject during
this Congress.
Hoar characterized Harris statement as
extraordinary, and appealed to the Senate
| not to submit to that kind of threat. Here
| was bill embodied in four great salutary
House of Representatives and the Ameri-
can people were substantially agreed, and
the Senate was now told that none of these
things should be accomplished unless there
was engrafted on the bill what was a de-
parture from the great doctrine of reason
ableness, unless there was engrafted prin-
ciple against which the customers and not
the railroads interested in the carrying
trade were protesting, on the ground that
the inevitable effect of it would be to put
up freights and to make large branches of
business. now carrying on successfully and
proftably, impossible in the future.
George advocated the adoption of the re-
port. He said he had no doubt that the
effect of legislation would be to increase
freight rates temporarily, not because that
was the legitimate result of it, but because
the railroad companies could make it the
occasion of unnecessarily and uniustly rails
ing rates in order to bring the measure into
disrepute.
The bill, Evarts said, has been properly
designated An Act to Regulate Com
| merce," not to regulate interstate COM
| merce. He denounced the bill as being
unconstitutional and as entirely lodged in
the Federal Governments jurisdiction over
| the subject of commerce. The Constitution
| was framed to form a more perfect Union
/ ~ JuSllCc anu ~ insure
| tranquility" but one fault of the bill
| would be its tendency to make the Union
| less perfect, to disestablish justice, and to
| insure domestic discord. Outside of the
fourth and fifth sections the bill was in the
direction of a regulation of commerce, and
properly belonged to the sphere of law
making, but these two sections were
| departures from law-msking. 1t was
an attempt to lay down rules of
| transportation not recognized by the laws
of commerce. The strangulation of COM
merce for the purpose of exercising control
| of railroads would be the sherest folly in
the world. 1t was to the interest of rail-
| roads that commerce should be developed,
not restrained; that is, the volume could
be increased and its freedom not hampered
Coming down to the question of pooling,
he asked whether the Senate was ready to
say that an equalization and uniformity of
| rates should not be allowed. They all
knew that pooling did produce uniformity
and stability, and that those questions were
the most important in the interest of ship
pers. This very question was now at the
bottom of the political agitation in Great
Britain and Ireland. The commerce of
the United States should be unrestrained
and without impediments in the way of
transfers between States. Whatever there
might be in the future, whatever could be
read in the past, the greatest and most re-
liable of principles of progress and pros
perity consisted in observing the law and
maintaining peace and accord at home
At the conclusion of Evarts speech
Cullom expressed his desire that a vote be
taken to-day, but Hoar suggested that he
and other Senators desired 10 speak, and
that there was no desire to delay vote un-
necessarily.
Finally unanimous consent was given
that vote shall be taken before adjourn
ment to morrow.
The anti-polygamy bill Senate bill with
House substitute) having been received
from the House, the amendment was non
concurred in and conference asked.
Messrs. Edmunds, ingalls, and fugh were
appointed as the Conference Committee on
the part of the Senate.
Cameron introduced q bill fer the ap-
pointment of a Commissioner TO represent
the Federal Government at the centennial
celebration of the forming and pr omulga-
ton of the Constitution to be held in
Philadelphia. Referred.
After an executive session the Senate ad-
journed.
THE HOUSE.
WASHINGTON, January 13th.-Bland of
Missouri, from the Committee on Coinage,
Weights and Measures reported back the
resolution calling upon the Secretary OF
the Treasury for information as to the
monthly purchases and coinage of silver
during the last fiscal year. Also informa-
ton as to whether the law requiring the
purchase and coinage of not less than
81, 900 000 worth of silver bullion had been
complied with. Adopted.
The floor was accorded to the Committee
on Judiciary and the following bills were
passed: Authorizing service of civil and
criminal process issued by any Territorial
Court within the Indian and military reser-
vations and Yellowstone National Park.
Amending the law regulating the re-
moval of causes from State to Federal
Courts. The bill increases the minimum
jurisdiction of Circuit Courts from $500 to
| $1,000 and takes away from Circuit Courts
| jurisdiction of causes in favor of assignees
of promissory notes and bills of exchange
and restricts to the defendant the right
to remove cause from a State to the
Federal Court. 1t deprives Circuit
Courts of the jurisdiction of any
suit of a civil nature between corporations
and the person of sny State in which such
corporation, at the time the cause of action
occurred, may have been carrying on any
business authorized by the law creating it,
except in cases arising under the copyright
or patent laws, and in like cases which
said Courts are authorized by the Act TO
take original cognizance of suits between
citizens of the same State, and prohibits
any such suit between a corporation and
citizen, or citizens. of State in which it
| may be doing business. from being re-
moved into any Circuit Curt of the
United States, except in like cases in
which such removal is authorized by the
| foregoing provisions in suits between citi-
zens of the same State
Tucker of Virginia called up the bill
providing for the bringing of suits against
the Government, which, after very brief
| discussion, was passed.
The next bill called up was the one ex-
tending, tor one hour [year?l from its
passage, the right of action in cases arising
under the Captured and Abandoned Prop
! erty Act.
Pending debate, the House adjourned.
SAN FRANCISCO AND VICINITY.
| There is some talk of strike by the
\